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Getting started with experiential education

Not every component of a course needs to be experiential in order to create a meaningful experience for students. While some courses, particularly those with field placements, may be centered on an experiential learning opportunity, others may have only one activity and/or assessment that is experiential.

When first thinking about how to incorporate experiential learning opportunities into a course, it is important to begin by reviewing your Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs).

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) are statements that specify what the learner should know, and/or be able to do by the end of a learning experience. There are three components to any ILO:

  • An action verb that identifies the depth of learning expected
  • A statement specifying the learning to be demonstrated
  • A statement to give context and/or link the learning to specific activities and/or assessments.

Here is an example of an ILO, broken down by each of the components identified above:

Identify (action verb to identify the depth of learning expected) the different components of an author’s argument (the statement specifying the learning to be demonstrated) by completing and submitting the critical review assessment (the statement giving context/providing a link to activities and/or assessments).”

Your ILOs set out what you want students to achieve by the end of a learning experience. You can have ILOs for specific classes within your course, and you can also have ILOs for the whole course. When designing ILOs for a specific class in your course, all activities and assessments in that class should be aligned with your ILOs. By participating in these class activities and class assessments, students should be able to achieve the ILOs for that class.

Thinking about alignment between your ILOs, your teaching activities, and your assessments can help you meaningfully incorporate an authentic experiential learning opportunity into your course.  An experiential learning opportunity is authentic when students engage in a learning experience and actively reflect on that experience. Experiential learning should be authentic in order for students and instructors to truly benefit – students can more actively think about their experience and what they have learned, which in turn helps instructors assess the effectiveness of the implementation of experiential learning.

So, to begin, think about what ILO(s) might best be achieved through an experiential learning activity and/or assessment, and remember that when incorporating an experiential learning component into your course, you want it to be an authentic experience for students.

Next, think about what kind of experiential learning activity and/or assessment to incorporate into your teaching practice. Focusing on a single, small(er) activity can be a low stakes way of exploring experiential education for both you and your students, and it can help you reflect more easily on the experience. Or, you may want to build a course around a larger experiential learning opportunity, such as a field placement.

Experiential activities

Experiential learning is a high engagement learning process whereby students “learn by doing” and then reflect on the experience. There are many different types of experiential learning opportunities that you might consider incorporating into a course, including field internships, hands-on workshops, field exercises, undergraduate research, or studio performances.

Review the examples below for some ideas on how to incorporate experiential learning opportunities into a course. This list is not exhaustive, but gives a sense of some of the most common experiential learning opportunities used in the Humanities.

Case-based learning, simulations, and real-world activities prompt students to apply course content and disciplinary knowledge to problems and/or situations they may encounter once they venture beyond the classroom. Students must examine, analyze, and propose solutions. Then, they reflect on the experience, considering what worked, what did not work, and what they learned overall.

An activity and/or assignment focused on a case study, simulation, or real-world scenario can be a great alternative to an essay or other research-based assignments because students will still develop problem-solving, research, and communication skills.

To develop these kinds of activities, you can look online for existing examples. Or, perhaps you might work with a community partner to develop a case study or simulation that reflects a real-world problem or scenario.

There is a lot of room for creativity, and these kinds of activities can be updated to reflect our current social, political, and economic climate.

Guest speakers can be leveraged as an experiential learning opportunity. Having a guest speaker address what it is like to work in a given field can be a meaningful experience for students, and help them understand the complexity of real-world situations. Guest speakers may also help to run workshops or other high engagement activities that help students understand how a given profession or field operates.

When working with guest speakers, it is important to ensure that the relationship is mutually beneficial. This may involve compensating the guest speaker financially, or providing some other kinds of benefits. For more information on building reciprocal relationships, please see Building Relationships.

Academic placements enable students to apply theory learned in the classroom to supervised, hands-on practical experiences. Students work with experts from their field of study.

Academic placements, field placements, and practicums are typically unpaid, but students receive academic credit towards their degree. Depending on the nature of the placement, community partners may be involved in evaluating the performance of students in their placements. When working with community partners, it is important to ensure that relationships are reciprocal and not exploitative.

To find community partners, you might leverage your own professional networks. You can also consult with the Student Success Centre, the Office of Community Engagement, or the Careers & Experience Team in the Student Experience Office for the Faculty of Humanities. For additional guidance, please see Building Relationships.

Internships, apprenticeships, and co-ops are discipline-specific, supervised work experiences related to the academic curriculum. Students are expected to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a real work environment. These types of opportunities help students gain a realistic view of an employment sector or career path.

Positions can be paid or unpaid.

The Faculty of Humanities offers an internship program open to students who are registered either part-time or full-time in an undergraduate degree program within the Faculty of Humanities, and who are currently Level II or above.

The Faculty of Humanities also offers the Career Apprenticeship Program (HCAP). The HCAP program provides one-year, full-time, salary-paid employment opportunities in Hamilton along with mentorship and networking opportunities for undergraduate Humanities students completing their final year of study.

Please note that the Faculty of Humanities does not currently have a co-op program. We have included it here because it is a common form of work-integrated learning that you have likely encountered before, but there are certain accreditation requirements that separate a co-op from an internship or an apprenticeship.

Community-based research is a methodological practice whereby students conduct research with and for members of a community. Students leverage their research skills to engage in collaborative projects with a community partner. Notably, in order to be experiential, students need to move beyond simply writing an essay to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world concerns or problems.

Community-based research is often collaborative. Regardless of whether students are working individually or as part of a group, they should be working in partnership with the community in which the research is taking place. Community partners and students work together to develop questions that respond to community needs, determine data collection strategies, and ensure effective knowledge mobilization.

Field trips and field exercise provide students with an opportunity to gain practical experience in a setting relevant to their discipline. Students leave the classroom to explore beyond the classroom, typically participating in an intensive hands-on experience that allow students gain practical experience and build career-relevant skills.

Please note that not every field trip is inherently experiential. Students should be participating in a hands-on practical activity as a way to better understand a given field or career.

Regardless of what activity you choose, it important to incorporate reflection. It is through reflection that students think more deeply about their learning, synthesize new knowledge, and create plans for how to apply their learning in the future. To learn more about how to incorporate reflection as a method of reflection, you can review our Critical Reflection Resources.

Building relationships

Experiential learning opportunities often involve working with individuals or groups beyond McMaster University. This is especially true with community-engaged experiential learning. This section focuses on how to build reciprocal relationships.

It is our responsibility to ensure that we are choosing experiential learning opportunities that meet the needs of students, as well as any partners we may choose to work with. Failure to build reciprocal relationships will result in negative experiences for everyone, and may cause individuals and/or groups to avoid partnering with us in the future.

Throughout this section, we use the term community partner to refer to those who are lending their time and resources to advance student learning beyond the classroom.

Questions to consider

When planning an experiential learning opportunity that requires a community partner, consider the following questions in order to lay the foundation for a reciprocal relationship.

What can students offer to a community partner?
When planning an experiential learning activity that involves working with a community partner, consider what skills and knowledge your students might contribute to a partnership. The goal is to add value and not deplete resources, so think about what students can reasonably contribute given their year of study, discipline, etc.

What does the community partner need?
When planning an experiential learning activity that involves working with a community partner, consider what skills and knowledge your students might contribute to a partnership. The goal is to add value and not deplete resources, so think about what students can reasonably contribute given their year of study, discipline, etc.

What does the community partner need?
When working with a community partner, it is important to consider their needs. Avoid taking a top-down approach and telling community partners what you would like students to do as part of the experiential learning activity, and instead ask community partners to articulate their needs. Once a need has been identified, consider if students can contribute in a way that will achieve intended learning outcomes.

Is the proposed partnership beneficial to the community partner?
When designing an experiential learning opportunity that involves working with a community partner, it is important to ensure that the partner is involved in the planning process. It is unethical and disrespectful to send students out to engage with a community that has not been prepared or consulted. Similarly, if you are bringing a guest into your classroom, make sure that their role is clearly defined and mutually agreed upon.

Is the partnership beneficial to the community partner?
When building relationships, it is important to ensure that we are adding value rather than depleting limited resources. For example, if an experiential learning activity requires that students to spend 10 hours working with a community partner, does the community partner have the resources to ensure that students are properly trained and supervised? Will students contribute enough to outweigh the time and organization it requires to host a student? A community partner may not have the time or resources to train, supervise, and assign tasks to students.

It is also important to consider the capacity of students. Remember that many students have full schedules that can include other courses, family obligations, and part-time employment. Be clear with students about expectations around time commitments so that they can make decisions about their capacity.

Does the community partner have a clear understanding of what students can contribute?
Students can add a lot of value for community partners, but it is important to develop a mutual understanding of what students can accomplish during the partnership. Take the time to clarify what the community partner hopes that students will achieve, and ensure that these requests are reasonable within the scope of the experiential learning opportunity. If the expectations are not reasonable, both students and the community partner may end up feeling discouraged.

Finding Partnerships

There are many different ways to connect with partners. You likely already have some connections that you might leverage. Think about people or groups you have worked with before, as well as alumni. Often former students who participated in experiential learning opportunities during their time at McMaster University will recognize the value of experiential education, and can advocate for their current organization to participate in a collaboration.

Each faculty also has staff who connect with community partners in various ways. In the Faculty of Humanities, instructors can consult the Careers & Experience Team in the Student Experience Office for guidance on connecting with partners. The McMaster Alumni Association can also be a great resource, as they maintain a directory of businesses that are owned and operated by McMaster alumni.